INRAE
France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, formed by merging INRA and IRSTEA, conducts research on sustainable agriculture, food systems, and ecosystems.
INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement) is France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment. It was created on January 1, 2020, through the merger of two major public research organizations: the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA, founded in 1946) and the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for the Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA, established in 2012).
Operating under the joint authority of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research & Innovation and the Ministry of Agriculture & Food, INRAE employs approximately 11,500 staff across 18 regional research centers and over 200 scientific units, including nearly 40 experimental sites throughout France.
INRAE organizes its research through 14 scientific divisions, ranging from agronomy and biodiversity to microbiology, social sciences, mathematics, and digital technologies, fostering interdisciplinarity to address complex global challenges.
The institute's mission is to produce high-impact science that supports sustainable agroecology, food safety, bioeconomy, biodiversity preservation, water management, and nutritional health. INRAE is also committed to innovation transfer and serving as an expert partner for public policy across regional, national, and international levels.
Keywords: INRAE, INRA, IRSTEA, French agricultural research, food and environment science, agroecology, biodiversity, bioeconomy, public policy expertise, research center network, interdisciplinary research
